Carver Park

TOO OFTEN we hear and read about the ''I don't want to get involved'' syndrome prevalent in our civilization. Eustis is unique in that we have so many volunteers who do get involved.This past year, the Eustis Recreation Department invested many dollars in refurbishing Carver Park. With the help of volunteers, this park is a credit to the community.As a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee to the Recreation Department, I congratulate the parent groups, the adult softball league and individuals who have given generously of their time in working with the recreation department to keep this park a place for all to enjoy.

EUSTIS - With the turn of four ceremonial shovels, a group of Eustis residents recently came a step closer to making their dream of a community garden a reality. The garden, at Cardinal Cove, 287 Cardinal St., is still days from having seeds planted. But it is quickly taking shape - the soil has been graded and plots marked off with stakes and string. City workers have poured concrete sidewalks. Dee Lewis, site manager for the Eustis Housing Authority and one of the garden organizers, said finding a shed and fencing the site are the two biggest remaining tasks.

Word of the city's planned improvements for Carver Park on Bates Avenue comes as a welcome surprise to youngsters Maxie Monroe and James Nesmith.The 11-year-olds play ball at the city park just about every day after class lets out at Eustis Heights Elementary.In fact, they even have a few suggestions for the park: a swimming pool or a concession area.But those may be further down the road. For now, the city plans more basic park improvements with a $147,500 state grant from the Florida Department of Natural Resources.

Adopt-a-Child for Christmas, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, will collect and distribute gifts to needy children within east Lake County for the 28th year. The signature angel trees are at post offices in Mount Dora, Eustis, Tavares, Umatilla and Sorrento, Eustis Memorial Library, the Golden Triangle YMCA in Tavares, Zellie's Pub, Whale's Tale Fish House, Triangle Bingo and W.T. Bland Public Library, all in Mount Dora. Gifts will be distributed Dec. 14. Each angel lists the child's specific requests such as educational items, clothing size, shoe size and age. The group requests that toys and books be age-appropriate.

Resplendent with a rec center and balconies overlooking views of fountain-splashed water, Orlando's newest public-housing project seems to be missing only one thing: the chance for residents to purchase their homes. The Orlando Housing Authority will have the grand opening on Thursday of Carver Park in downtown Orlando's Parramore neighborhood. The rental-only complex was built on the site of its 1940s predecessor -- Carver Court -- with an $18 million federal housing grant. The Villas at Carver Park include 64 one-bedroom units for the elderly and the Landings at Carver Park have 56, two- and three-bedroom units for families Earlier plans that called for qualified buyers to purchase as many as 84 houses and town houses at Carver Park have been delayed.

Renewed interest in upgraded facilities at Carver Park has some residents saying the community center isn't being used enough as it is.The center houses the Lake Community Action Agency's Head Start children's program and has been praised by officials as needed and worthwhile.Still, some residents say the city needs to work to help Head Start find another building so the center can be returned to its original purpose.''After all these years, they (Head Start officials) should have had their own building,'' said longtime Eustis resident Joyce McTier.

The Orlando Housing Authority plans to remove the top layer of soil from a neighborhood it plans to build in west Orlando where more than half the soil samples collected showed traces of a cancer-causing compound. Still, housing-authority administrators and environmental consultants said there is no danger from contamination at the former site of Carver Court, a public-housing project built atop an old junkyard and dump off Gore Street. The soil will be removed to comply with state standards.

One of the largest and most anticipated public-housing projects in Orlando has ground to a halt after tests found a cancer-causing compound in the soil. Orlando Housing Authority administrators don't know the extent of the pollution at Carver Court, a 1940s-era housing project built on the site of an old junkyard and demolished in 2002. But the discovery likely will delay for months the long-awaited construction of a modern housing community dubbed Carver Park -- and prompt a cleanup that could cost several million dollars.

After almost two years in the making, improvements are nearly finished at the city's largest park, the Carver Park Recreation Complex in east Eustis.The 10-acre park on the north shore of Lake Willie has been transformed from a largely undeveloped piece of property to a complete park with ball fields, playing areas and a lighted picnic pavilion.''It's an excellent addition to the Eustis community,'' said human services coordinator Alvin Jackson, whose office oversaw the project.''We're very proud of it. It's been a long project that took a lot of hard work and team effort,'' Jackson said.

MEN'S TOURNAMENT. Otis Rogers is putting on a men's tournament Aug. 29-30 at Carver Park in Eustis. There is no home run limit. Entry fee is $100 plus two blue dot softballs. To register for the double-elimination tournament or for more information call Rogers at 589-1265.

Three suspects are in custody Sunday after a fight over a stolen phone led to gunfire, police said. No one was injured when the shots broke out shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the Landings at Carver Park, an Orlando Housing Authority apartment complex. Orlando police Lt. Eric Pedersen said the incident began with the theft of a phone earlier in the day. The victim recognized the man who'd grabbed the phone, and the two got into "a heated altercation that turned physical," Pedersen said.

Mallory O'Connor, a professor emeritus of art history at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, will present "Immortal Fountain of Youth in Florida: History, Mythology and Art" at 2 p.m. Saturday at Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St. O'Connor will discuss the connection between the fabled Fountain of Youth and the development of Florida as a land where dreams come true and people can reinvent themselves. The free program also will include works of art, both traditional and popular, of Florida.

EUSTIS - Police arrested this morning a 32-year-old man on a charge he was selling marijuana near Carver Park, one of the city's main parks and recreational complexes. Jerry Louis Washington was taken into custody after city officers and the SWAT team executed a search warrant at his Bates Avenue home, police said. Police found marijuana in several locations in the home, as well as other materials used to help sell narcotics. Washington has 34 prior felonies and 28 prior misdemeanors, many of which are narcotics related, police said.

Resplendent with a rec center and balconies overlooking views of fountain-splashed water, Orlando's newest public-housing project seems to be missing only one thing: the chance for residents to purchase their homes. The Orlando Housing Authority will have the grand opening on Thursday of Carver Park in downtown Orlando's Parramore neighborhood. The rental-only complex was built on the site of its 1940s predecessor -- Carver Court -- with an $18 million federal housing grant. The Villas at Carver Park include 64 one-bedroom units for the elderly and the Landings at Carver Park have 56, two- and three-bedroom units for families Earlier plans that called for qualified buyers to purchase as many as 84 houses and town houses at Carver Park have been delayed.

West Orlando's newest neighborhood will have one feature not found in most communities: a network of "smart" surveillance cameras that can automatically detect suspicious activity and alert the cops. Carver Park is the first development in Central Florida to integrate the Orlando Police Department's new smart-camera system from the start. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he doesn't think any prospective buyers will be put off by the notion that Big Brother will be peeking at their neighborhood.

EUSTIS -- Think you've got some good ideas on what the city should look like in coming years? Here's your chance to speak up. The city will conduct four visioning sessions in April and May that will give residents a forum to express their ideas and concerns about the city's growth and development. Sessions will be held: April 17, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Eustis Senior Service Center, 301 W. Ward Ave. May 2, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Eustis Community Center, 601 Northshore Drive. May 8, 10 a.m. to noon, at the American Legion Hall, 101 S. Bay St. May 12, 10 a.m. to noon, in the garden room at Carver Park, 2214 E. Bates Ave. For more information, call the city's Development Services Division at 352-483-5460.

RUGBY GAME. The Space Coast Rugby Football Club and Brevard Old Red Eye will battle for the Brevard County rugby championship at 2 p.m. Saturday at Carver Park, Melbourne. Space Coast leads the annual series 5-0 after a 43-0 romp last season.

The Orlando Housing Authority plans to remove the top layer of soil from a neighborhood it plans to build in west Orlando where more than half the soil samples collected showed traces of a cancer-causing compound. Still, housing-authority administrators and environmental consultants said there is no danger from contamination at the former site of Carver Court, a public-housing project built atop an old junkyard and dump off Gore Street. The soil will be removed to comply with state standards.

One of the largest and most anticipated public-housing projects in Orlando has ground to a halt after tests found a cancer-causing compound in the soil. Orlando Housing Authority administrators don't know the extent of the pollution at Carver Court, a 1940s-era housing project built on the site of an old junkyard and demolished in 2002. But the discovery likely will delay for months the long-awaited construction of a modern housing community dubbed Carver Park -- and prompt a cleanup that could cost several million dollars.